Happy UN Day 2018!

Concrete results, and telling our story, must be our focus!

On UN Day, October 24, United Nations Jamaica will host high schools from across Jamaica for an expo and intro to the work of the UN in Jamaica, the Sustainable Development goals and to future careers and opportunities within the UN system.

"Each year, we celebrate the United Nations Day on 24 October, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations. It’s a day when we seek to raise awareness about the aims of the United Nations, and to reflect on its work since 1948.

This morning we saw Eliud Kipchoge being recognized at the UN Day celebrations in Nairobi. Eliud is a truly inspiring person. When we learnt that a man who recently broke the world Berlin marathon record also cleans toilets for his fellow team mates, I was humbled. Here is a chance to reflect on humanity and the understanding of serving others which underscores who we are as the UN.

The awareness that we seek to raise as UN family should be anchored on the service that we offer to humanity. That, dear colleagues, is where our greatness lies!

Let us remind ourselves that the UN’s achievements in the past have always been based on tangible deliverables. “Results” is therefore the key word that should guide our reflections, and our daily work. It was also something we have heard repeatedly from member states during this week’s Annual Sub-Committee Meeting here in Nairobi.

This is especially important considering the times we live in. It’s clear that multilateralism is not a given – and it’s up to all of us to show we are more relevant than ever before.

Looking at UN Environment, this small family, our Programme of Work is making a real impact on people’s lives and helping protect our planet. Concrete results, and telling our story, must be our focus!"